


The Flight of Arthur Kirkland

by Alegani (Alega)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Peter Pan, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-05-13
Packaged: 2018-03-30 02:45:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3919993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alega/pseuds/Alegani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A flying boy invites Francis to the best adventure of his life: to go to Neverland. But the wonderful island isn’t the safe place of his dreams. FrUK.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Darling orphanage

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my fic for the FrUK Entente Cordiale event. I published this fic in Spanish first, but for certain reasons I was forced to translate to English and, with part of the story ready, I think I can publish the fic in both languages. I promise I’ll do my best! 
> 
> Thanks to Newamsterdam for her proofreading! You've helped me a lot!
> 
> And thanks to SuzumeMizuno and Cydalima for their corrections on the Spanish version too <3
> 
> Here's the explanation on some things:
> 
> \- The fic is based on J.M Barrie’s works, so, it has elements of his universe (there are spoilers of the books about Peter Pan)  
> \- About the characters: Monique : Monaco; Michelle : Seychelles; Emma : Belgium; Vincent : Netherlands; Casper : Cameroon.  
> \- When Wendy grew up at the final chapter of _Peter and Wendy_ , she had a child called Jane. Later, Jane had a child too, Marianne. I’m using this character as NyoFrance.

Every child grows up. They understand this with the passing of time. They learn to crawl, to walk, to say their first words…  Then comes the most difficult part, like learning to count to ten and to read the words in books.

Francis’ great-grandmother, Wendy, knew it when she was two years old. His grandmother Jane, who liked to live in denial, gave up when she was three years old. His mother, Marianne, accepted it when she was two years old and, then, she decided that she wouldn’t grow up in her soul —actually, she was the first one to grow up.

To be two years old is the beginning of the end. You understand that you will turn into an adult with suit and tie to go to work, to have a family and to bring children to the world. Children will end up disappointed with the life, like everyone else.

Only these three girls knew the truth: the real beginning of the end actually happens when you leave Neverland. Because there, you, and only you, can put a foot in the complicated universe of adults. If you live in the adult’s world without problem, too bad! You’re one of them already.     

Now, for you there are no dreams of sirens, of pirates and of Piccaninny tribes. 

* * *

 

Francis Bonnefoy can read decently by the time he is seven years old. He had to swallow the school’s alphabet. The illustrations of the alphabet's book are boring to him, because the words that go with these books had as much charm as the list of ingredients on a milk carton. He still remembers the punishment when he didn’t recite the alphabet. He didn’t want to. Francis gave the teacher a valid explanation for this: “These words aren’t elegant ladies like my mother and her friends, I don’t think to be a go-between of their mess.”  

Go-between and mess were words that he heard often from the mouths of these women, and Francis had more or less resolved that they meant the opposite of the well-cared appearance of his mother. That time, Francis spent the class sitting in front of a wall, turning his back on the rest of students with a pointed hat on his heat. The teacher hoped that Francis would learn his lesson. But he didn’t.

The teacher would have decided a severe punishment if Francis have been another boy and not the son of Mister Bonnefoy. Francis’ father donated a lot of money to the school and he had won a reputation. Nobody could touch the Bonnefoy boy.

In the afternoons, his mother read him romantic novels that changed his world forever. Francis knew already, as true as the marriage between Marianne and Claude Bonnefoy, that the world is ruled by love. Knights risk their lives to save princesses, the damsel fainting at hearing the name of her true love, love’s true kiss being the final resource against all the evil of the world. Love defeats the impossible. But, of course, even love cannot escape from the adult’s world. 

Francis wants to play, to run and jump the rope with his friends, but he wants to play at being loved, too. He can play the role of a knight or a princess, a rich man who doesn’t accept the love of a peasant, or a married woman who knows happiness with her lover (and not her husband). His playmates were Monique, his younger sister, and Michelle, one of the children living in the orphanage. Marianne and Claude Bonnefoy take care of this building.

The two girls take a long time to get the point of Francis’ games. But Francis, who has a lot of imagination, has the patience to explain his ideas to them. Francis explains his ideas with examples from the books of his mother, and anecdotes heard from the friends of Marianne.

Monique and Michelle get the point after of a series of examples; the other listeners only shake their head and, then, they follow their own games in their infantile ignorance inside the orphanage.

The orphanage Darling was run by the descendents of the founders: John, Michael and Wendy. It's always full of children that believed in great adventures. Francis’ parents and uncles admit every child. The orphanage has many beds and, when it doesn’t, they search more. In the orphanage nobody has to sleep in a basket (as Michelle had appeared in front of the doors when she was a baby).

The boys living in houses like the Francis’, in other hand, tease him when Francis suggests that kind of romantic play in one of their gardens. When he kisses a girl on the cheek, she hits him –maybe was a bad idea to choose Elizabeth as the delicate lady of his sights. Elizabeth isn’t like Monique or Emma, she doesn’t like to behave with refinement. A week after, Francis does the same thing with a boy, earning another hit and a declaration of eternal hate –“well,” Francis says. “Vincent isn’t as cute as Monique or Michelle, so, who cares.”

Claude Bonnefoy decides to talk with his son when the failed attempts of kisses and epic love threaten the reputation that every Londoner child has to have. His father doesn’t known for his punishments, so, when Francis gets a scowl from him, he knows that he should take him seriously. Since then, Francis only plays in that way with his sister and his best friend.

Of course, he gives in and accepts the roles created by the other girls. Monique likes to be a businessman (she says she is a businesswoman, a strange word in London). For some reason, the buttons that they pretend are money make her happy. Michelle, in a different way, prefers to play as a family, with Monique and Francis as her children.

Michelle doesn’t have a father or a mother. Francis' relatives had found her in front of the orphanage’s doors, and nobody knew who left her there alone. Francis couldn’t understand it. Francis isn’t even allowed to cross the street by himself. Michelle doesn’t look like anyone that Francis knows, and the little baby didn’t have a card with her name on it. Marianne gave her a name, but not a last name. 

It’s a trend in the orphanage not to have fathers. The children pretend to have families, especially when they are young. When this happens, and at least when Michelle isn’t playing, Francis prefers to stay out of it. He thinks it is unfair to Marianne and Claude; he doesn’t want to kill them in a tragic accident only for to be a son of some of the orphans. Otherwise, as his parents help a lot in the building, Francis is there long enough to see the different games of the children.

* * *

 

At eight years old, Francis doesn’t want to depend on his mother’s stories. Then, he started to read to Monique and Michelle, imitating the voices of the characters and asking their help with the interpretation. They immerse themselves in stories of love.

Francis turns into a storyteller, he knows a repertoire of stories and, he has even invented some more. When Francis gains confidence with his storytelling, he starts to tell them when he is with his friends or the boys in the orphanage. Some of his friends don’t like the sweetness of Francis’ affection, but they enjoy the stories that Francis narrates.

The way that Francis narrates captivates, as if he had been there. Francis gives life to his stories and, even, he improvises when the plot turns in wrong direction (that he doesn’t like).

Of course, he reads other books apart from love’s stories, like school’s lessons or the recipe from cook books because he isn't an expert yet at cooking-- for example, an apple pie without the help of a guide. Learning to read alone is a step to the adulthood.

Pan will say that Francis caught his eye because of his stories. But _that_ is a lie.


	2. The Flying Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Newamsterdam for helping me with the English version <3 
> 
> If you find some typo, please let me know!
> 
> About the characters' names: 
> 
> Wy : Ann, Monaco : Monique, Seychelles : Michelle, Casper : Cameroon.

Every child knows Peter Pan. The boy who left his home the day he was born, because he hated the possibility of being an adult. He lived for a time with the fairies in the Kensington gardens, where he made friends with a goat and learned to play the flute. We don’t know when he set out on the journey to Neverland.

Every child dreams of a favorite part of Neverland. Michelle likes the sirens of the lake, while Monique prefers the brave pirates and their treasures. Elizabeth adores the Piccaninny tribe and, when she doesn’t dream of going hunting with them, pretends that she goes hunting with her friends. Casper loves the exotic animals of the island, while Roderich prefers the birds, and only Ivan chooses the crocodile as the best part of Neverland. Of course, everyone admires the absolute boss of the island: Peter Pan is who has the best adventures. Francis has seen all of them across his dreams, because they're an open window to Neverland and Peter Pan.

But Francis’ favorites are the lost boys. They fascinate and intrigue Francis at the same time: where do these children without fathers and mothers come from? Why do these children not remember anything about their early life in London?

They never are the same: Neverland remains steady on the passing of time, but the lost boys come and leave as if their season on the island was an illusion. That's why Francis sees new faces frequently. What happened to the rest of the boys? Did they go back to London or go to another magic place?  

Francis envies them sometimes, because they live for play and without homework or the scolding of teachers. Other times, Francis doesn’t know what to feel when he remembers that they don’t have families. They don’t have a mother who gives them a kiss at night, or a father who hugs them and tells them how much he loves them.

The lost boys only have themselves and nobody more.

* * *

 

It happens a night, when his father and his mother go to an evening event. Francis tucks Monique in her bed, gives her two goodnight kisses and leaves her a lamp on in the nightstand to dispel the nightmares. Finally, Francis goes to his own room, closes the door and dresses in his favorite pajama made by Marianne, white and with a heart in the center. 

Francis makes the imprudent decision to open the window. His mother, his grandmother and his great grandmother only opened the window at night when they were in adult company and only if it was strictly necessary. Nobody would believe the things, or the persons, that can enter through an innocent window. Even though the room is on a high floor.

It is not an especially cold night. Francis likes the wind against his face, although it is making a mess of his hair. He’s distracted, noticing the streets of London, until a light from the sky grabs his attention.

It was a twinkling light, but Francis doesn’t understand what this is: a star? A planet, like the planet of the love and beauty? A comet?

Francis takes advantage of this to make a wish: “I want to live a love like my mother’s romantic books, please.”

Smiling for such nonsense, Francis goes to his bed.

_What stupid wish!_

Francis stops immediately. He looks around him but there isn’t anything to indicate that somebody is in the room. Is he hearing voices? He hopes not, because Roderich told him that a person who hears voices in his head ends in a horrible place. 

He snuggles up with his blanket, and keeps his eyes open. He feels anxious; his father always told him that he has to believe in his instincts, and they are shouting “be alert!”.  

When a slender figure sets in the window of his room, Francis’ first action is to cover himself with his bed sheet and starts to shiver with fear. “Oh, no, no, no, a thief! Or maybe a villain who kidnaps boys for eating them!”

Gathering his courage, Francis finally sees who is threatening the peace of his day. He could laugh when he sees the intruder, confirming that it is a child younger than him, dressed in a suit made from tree’s leaves —This doesn’t look like the most comfortable material in the world—, and he has enormous eyebrows that could cause panic on a person sensitive to beauty. The boy’s ears are too big compared to his face, but besides that, he has pretty eyes and a small nose.

The clothing or the appearance don’t captivate Francis, but other things do. The boy is floating a significant distance off the floor. It is a way to impress somebody you’ve met recently, “Look how my feet don’t touch the floor!”, and it’s working. 

Francis stays here with his mouth open. Seconds later he closes it, considering that he might look stupid in front of a flying boy.

“Eh… Hello?” Francis lets out, without wanting to be rude, actually. Although the unknown boy was the one who entered into the room without a proper invitation. “Do you want some tea? Cookies? A cup of milk?”

“I want you,” the boy says, and then he thinks about the meaning of this. “Eh, I don’t want you exactly, but Pan, yes, he wants you. And he ordered me to find you, because… oh, well, what do you care? You’re a silly girl, but you know how to do something that the other boys don’t.”

_I want you._

Francis stopped hearing him after that. He sits on his bed and he tries to cover his knees.

“And I’m dressed like this!” Francis exclaims, because he would like to wear his best suit in front of a flying boy. “If you give me time, I will dress and you can love me properly.”

The boy raises an eyebrow.

“I don’t want you, I don’t care how you dress, and why do you sound like a boy?”

“I _am_ a boy.”

“No way, really? I can’t lose time,” the boy insists. He snorts, sitting on the bed. At his side, a light is twinkling unceasingly. Maybe he is a wizard, too? The boy sees his confusion. “She is Ann, a fairy friend of mine. She is little but she isn’t silly, she knows that you are a girl!” The fairy sends up a tinkle. 

Francis knows this is the language of fairies. A common human can’t understand it.

“Eh? He told the truth?”

Francis remembers his mother’s descriptions about the first lost boy. But the little boy said already that Peter Pan sent him, so, he isn’t the boy who never grew up.

“Why does he look like a girl, then? That isn’t okay. Pan wanted a mother, not other boy.”

“Pan…?” Francis starts. So, he might be a subordinate. But this experience is unique. “I can be their mother! Their father, their cousin, whatever he wants! Have you come to carry me to Neverland? So, is this the way to be a lost boy?”

“No,” the boy says, “You are talking a lot. Shut up. I’m going to consult with Ann.”

The boy and the fairy talk in low voices at the ceiling of the room. Francis doesn’t mention that whispering is an sign of bad education. He stands up to search his slippers, then he takes a brush and tries to fix his hair. 

The shock has gone and, now, Francis only feels excited about the possibility of playing a little while in Neverland. If an adult had seen the scene, he would question his decisions without any doubt –also, he would order the boy to take a shower.

The boy and the fairy finish as Francis finishes his brushing of his hair.

“I’m ready, thanks for waiting for me.”

“I’m not waiting for you, we are deciding if we will carry on you or not,” the boy says. “We decided that Peter decide on the island. Ann!”

Francis hears another tinkle.

The fairy blows fairy’s dust on Francis. In only a second, Francis is floating already in the room. He thinks it is marvelous, but then, he realizes that he doesn’t have an idea of how to move in the air. He tries to slide without success and soon Francis finds himself adrift in his own room.

The boy takes his hand.

“Learn fast or you could die when you're alone in the sky.”

“Why alone? Won’t you help me?”

“I don’t help anybody. I’m Arthur, the second in command.”

“Second in command of what?” Francis asks and the boy thinks about it. He doesn’t give an answer. “Well, I don’t care. I’m Francis, nice to meet you! No one’s ever kidnapped me before.”

“Never? I've kidnapped a lot of people,” Arthur says, with a veteran air. “And sometimes, foolish boys like you.”

“I’m not foolish. I have high grades in school.”

“School is a waste of time, but when I went to there, I always had the higher grades. Nobody could be on a par with me.”

Francis concludes that Arthur is inventing all he is saying, but Francis avoids pointing out the fact. He’s flying, holding onto a boy who seen confident in the air and no, it isn’t a dream. This will be a fabulous story to tell his friends, a real story where he is participating!

He tries to understand how to fly, to avoid being dependent on Arthur. The boy moves with a bird’s agility and they ascend more and more, until they come to the tallest building in London. Francis has never gone so far before. He smiles the best that he can. It is a pity that Monique and Michelle are absent.

On the other hand, Arthur has said that Peter Pan wants him. The same way as his mother, his grandmother Jane and his great-grandmother Wendy!

It is his turn for an adventure with a boy who brags of kidnapping people, another boy who has lived years without changing a bit, and a handful of homeless boys in Neverland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Francis starts with Arthur the journey to Neverland. I hope to have the next chapter soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
